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Match Report

The Report: Wigan Athletic 4 Blues 0

It was an afternoon to forget for Blues who were comprehensively beaten by a rampant Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.

Two-goals from Callum McManaman and an Andrew Taylor strike put the hosts in a commanding position at the break before Martyn Waghorn added a fourth with 12 minutes to play.

Hoping to build on an impressive performance against Sunderland, Lee Clark made four changes from the side that started on Wednesday night. In came Darren Randolph, Jonathan Spector, David David and Lee Novak in place of Colin Doyle, Neal Eardley, Mark Duffy and Wes Thomas.

The hosts got off to a flying start and took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes when Callum McManaman twisted and turned inside the Blues' penalty area before firing a low effort past Randolph.

It got worse for Lee Clark with 38 minutes gone when James McArthur profited from sloppy Blues' play and slipped the ball into the path of Taylor who hammered the ball in off the post to double his side's lead.

The contest was put out of reach in first-half stoppage time, McManaman again the tormentor as he shifted the ball onto his right foot and effortlessly bent the ball into the top corner.

Blues made a double change at the break with Wes Thomas and Mark Duffy replacing Lee Novak and Stephen Gleeson. That had a positive effect and the visitors almost pulled a goal back when Clayton Donaldson was denied by a fantastic save from Scott Carson.

Any threat of a dramatic comeback were extinguished when substitutes Shaun Maloney and Martyn Waghorn combined to add a fourth. Maloney ghosted into the penalty area and pulled the ball across the six yard box for Waghorn to apply the finish.

Clark will now look to regroup during the two-week International break before returning to action against Leeds United.